Father, son lose state licenses

Wednesday

Jul 29, 2009 at 12:01 AMJul 29, 2009 at 1:00 PM

T.J. Greaney

In an agreement announced today by the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, Harold Warren Sr. and son Harold Warren Jr. agreed to revocation of their licenses to practice as funeral directors and embalmers in the state.

The agreement comes one day before a scheduled hearing in front of the state Administrative Hearing Commission in Jefferson City where the state board was scheduled to present its grievances against the Warrens.

“The most important thing was that the licenses be revoked, and this accomplishes that,” said Travis Ford, a spokesman for the Division of Professional Registration.

By signing on to the joint motion, the Warrens asserted as true the findings by the state board. These include charging families for cremation when cremation had not taken place, allowing bodies to rot in unsanitary conditions for extended periods of time, falsifying death certificates to indicate cremation had taken place when it had not and failing to file 31 death certificates for people who died between 2004 and 2006.

“The conduct of the Warrens … constitutes incompetence, misconduct and gross negligence,” reads the joint motion agreed to by the Warrens.

Warren Funeral Chapel’s licenses in Fulton and Columbia were revoked today as well. Reid Millard applied for a new license to operate at the Columbia location on July 19 and received it.

According to rules of the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, only a licensed funeral director may supervise interment or cremation. And only a licensed director may make arrangements for final disposition of a body.